Why should we fast?

I’ve heard it said that fasting is like a bomb that completely blows up and breaks through whatever you are trying to demolish to get through to God or to your promise. 

• "However, this kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting.” Matthew 17:21

• So He said to them, “This kind can come out by nothing but prayer and fasting.” Mark 9:29



Only certain things come out through prayer AND fasting

Perhaps there are some unfortunate happenings in your life that you have been praying about consistently for years yet you have not seen anything change or shift in your life. We can consider whether both prayer AND fasting would disrobe you from whatever the enemy was able to hold against you.

There were several examples in the Bible of where God's people fasted during a time of struggle, strife, or obedience to God and things began to change very quickly.

Moments in the Bible where God's people fasted for breakthrough:

• Read Esther 4:15-16
• Read Daniel 10:3

Now that we have an understanding on how powerful fasting can be, we want to take notice that we do not go into fasting 'any ol kind of way'. We want honor God with fasting and do it the way that He asked us to. After all, it's not really about the thing that you're praying for, it's about your relationship with God. As we have reviewed earlier, everything that you desire can only be found in God. He is the greatest Source and will be the greatest foundation for complete joy and fulfillment. Yes having alot of money would be nice, having the business, the family, the spouse, and so on... but none of that will matter nor be as enjoyable without your Heavenly Father.

Here are some of the Scriptures that we can be studying as we prepare our hearts for fasting:

• Is this not the fast I have chosen; to loose the bonds of wickedness, to undo heavy burdens, to let the oppressed go free, and that you break every yoke? Is it not to share your bread with the hungry, and that you bring to your house the poor who are cast out; when you see the naked, that you cover him, and not hide yourself from your own flesh? Then your light shall break forth like the morning, your healing shall spring forth speedily, and your righteousness shall go before you; the glory of the Lord shall be your rear guard. Then you shall cry, and He will say “Here I am” If you take away the yoke from your midst, the pointing of the finger, and speaking wickedness, if you extend your soul to the hungry and satisfy the afflicted soul, then your light shall dawn in the darkness, and your darkness shall be as noonday. The Lord will guide you continually, and satisfy your soul in drought, and strengthen your bones; you shall be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water, whose waters do not fail. Those from among you shall build the old waste places; you shall raise up the foundations of many generations; and you shall be called the repairer of the breach, the restorer of streets to dwell in. Isaiah 58:6

• Moreover, when you fast, do not be like the hypocrites,with a sad countenance. For they disfigure their faces that they may appear to men to be fasting. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. But you, when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, so that you do not appear to men to be fasting, but to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly Matthew 6:16-18



Now we have laid the ground work so you will need to go back to God and ask Him what type of fast you should do and do it!!!

I’m not sure if we will have corporate fasts in this community yet but I want anyone who is tuned in here to have an understanding of the groundwork

Over the next few weeks we will be diving into how I started a business with $0, no website, no following and within 3 years and by the grace of God, have been able to manage nearly $10M for my clients BUT before we get into that you need to go through prayer, fasting, and deliverance.

There is absolutely ZERO point of me teaching you everything if the enemy has legal rights and access to your business, you have to cut it off and this gets you closer to God anyway and who doesn’t want to be closer to Him; we all do, we just don’t know it

Types of Fasts

Abstaining from all or specific foods

Fasting Type

• Water only
• Fruits and Vegetables only
• Daniel fast: based on Daniel 10:3 I ate no pleasant bread, neither came flesh nor wine in my mouth, neither did I anoint myself at all, till three whole weeks were fulfilled.
• Esther fast: based on Esther 4:15 Then Esther told them to reply to Mordecai: “Go, gather all the Jews who are present in Shushan, and fast for me; neither eat nor drink for three days, night or day. My maids and I will fast likewise.

Time 

• Let Holy Spirit lead you
• 6am-6pm
• 6pm-6am
• 6am-12pm
• 6am-3pm

Length of days

• However many the Lord says
• 3 days
• 1 day

• Say to all the people of the land, and to the priests: ‘When you fasted and mourned in the fifth and seventh months during those seventy years, did you really fast for Me—for Me? Zechariah 7:5 NKJV

Not idolizing fasting

Again, we have come to understand, by God's grace, that fasting is powerful. However, we want to be very clear that we should not look to fasting as our sole solution for everything.

Non-Christians also fast from food and have also received the results that they were seeking. This is likely due to the perversion of what God created to be used for good. That goes to show how powerful God made fasting. Though non-Christians use God's creation of fasting to bring about their desired results, they do not receive the inheritance that is due to children of God which are all found in His Word.

• This is what the Lord Almighty says: “The fasts of the fourth, fifth, seventh and tenth months will become joyful and glad occasions and happy festivals for Judah. Therefore love truth and peace.” Zecharaiah 8:19 NIV